> The main reason this therapy isn't available is because the FDA has decided that the risks of gene therapy aren't worth the benefit of curing color blindness. I agree with that evaluation, but I also think mavericks should be allowed to try curing their own colorblindness (assuming they had informed consent and paid for the therapy themselves).
In what way do you agree with that evaluation then? The FDA certainly doesn't force anyone to undergo a treatment. And my understanding was the FDA doesn't decide who pays for a given treatment. In particular I don't think they define what medical insurance companies (or Medicare/Medicaid) have to pay for, do they? I think they just say whether the treatment is ethical to be performed at all. So when you say that mavericks should be allowed to try it, I think you're simply disagreeing with them?
In what way do you agree with that evaluation then? The FDA certainly doesn't force anyone to undergo a treatment. And my understanding was the FDA doesn't decide who pays for a given treatment. In particular I don't think they define what medical insurance companies (or Medicare/Medicaid) have to pay for, do they? I think they just say whether the treatment is ethical to be performed at all. So when you say that mavericks should be allowed to try it, I think you're simply disagreeing with them?